As crowds of Palestinians on Wednesday night cheered in Gaza’s shattered streets at the arrival of a long-awaited ceasefire deal, a car carrying veiled militants joined the celebrations.

A widely-shared video, first published by a Palestinian journalist, showed rifle-wielding men said to be from Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, parade along with the jubilant throng.

The brazen presence of Hamas fighters in Khan Younis despite months of determined Israeli military attempts to wipe them out will have surprised few.

More than 15 months after Israel vowed to effectively destroy the militant organisation for storming into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 and taking 250 hostages, the group has been badly mauled but is still alive.

The lack of an alternative administration in Gaza means it has been left severely weakened, but still standing.